These sounds are made by forcing air through a narrow space. Spanish lacks /v/, /θ/, /ð/, and /z/, so learners often substitute them. /v/ vs. /f/ Voiced /v/ Voiceless /f/ van fan vine fine vote float vest fest veil fail view few valve falve (nonword) very ferry save safe live leaf /θ/ vs. /ð/ Voiceless […]
These pairs differ only in voicing (vibration of the vocal cords). Spanish speakers often confuse them, especially at the end of words. /b/ vs. /p/ Voiced /b/ Voiceless /p/ bat pat big pig bin pin base pace back pack bay pay bet pet bark park ball pall bad pad /d/ vs. /t/ Voiced /d/ Voiceless /t/ dog
4.1 Voiced/Voiceless Pairs Read More »
These pairs differ by only one diphthong sound, helping learners hear and produce contrasts clearly. Pair IPA Diphthong Contrast bit / bite /bɪt/ vs. /baɪt/ /ɪ/ vs. /aɪ/ bet / bait /bɛt/ vs. /beɪt/ /ɛ/ vs. /eɪ/ not / note /nɑt/ vs. /noʊt/ /ɑ/ vs. /oʊ/ cut / coat /kʌt/ vs. /koʊt/ /ʌ/ vs. /oʊ/
/aɪ/ – as in “my,” “time” This diphthong glides from /a/ to /ɪ/. Word IPA my /maɪ/ time /taɪm/ light /laɪt/ night /naɪt/ high /haɪ/ buy /baɪ/ cry /kraɪ/ sky /skaɪ/ fly /flaɪ/ try /traɪ/ /eɪ/ – as in “say,” “day” This diphthong glides from /e/ to /ɪ/. Word IPA say /seɪ/ day /deɪ/ play /pleɪ/ way
When students practice minimal pairs, they can hear and make small alterations between vowels. Pair IPA Contrast ship / sheep /ʃɪp/ vs. /ʃiːp/ /ɪ/ vs. /iː/ bit / beat /bɪt/ vs. /biːt/ /ɪ/ vs. /iː/ live / leave /lɪv/ vs. /liːv/ /ɪ/ vs. /iː/ cat / cart /kæt/ vs. /kɑːt/ /æ/ vs. /ɑː/ bat /
These vowels might not be familiar to Spanish speakers because they are in the middle of the mouth. Vowel Example Word IPA Notes /ʌ/ cup /kʌp/ Stressed, short /ʌ/ luck /lʌk/ Stressed, short /ʌ/ sun /sʌn/ Stressed, short /ʌ/ bus /bʌs/ Stressed, short /ɜː/ bird /bɜːd/ Stressed, long /ɜː/ word /wɜːd/ Stressed, long /ɜː/ learn
2.2 Central Vowels Read More »
The length and quality of the vowels are different, and these are very significant in English but not in Spanish. /ɪ/ vs. /iː/ Short /ɪ/ Long /iː/ ship sheep bit beat live leave sit seat fill feel lid lead slip sleep grin green pick peak chick cheek /æ/ vs. /ɑː/ /æ/ (as in “cat”) /ɑː/
2.1 Short vs. Long Vowels Read More »
Spanish speakers might not be able to tell the difference between long and short vowels or shorten vowels in unstressed syllables. Here are ten examples: Word or Pair English Pronunciation Spanish-Influenced Version ship / sheep /ʃɪp/ vs. /ʃiːp/ both as /ʃip/ full / fool /fʊl/ vs. /fuːl/ both as /ful/ banana /bəˈnænə/ /baˈnana/ support /səˈpɔrt/
1.4 Vowel Length and Reduction Read More »
Spanish speakers could say voiced last consonants as voiceless, which changes the meaning. Here are ten examples: Target Word Intended Sound Spanish-Influenced Pronunciation bad /bæd/ /bæt/ robe /roʊb/ /roʊp/ dog /dɔɡ/ /dɔk/ cab /kæb/ /kæp/ seed /siːd/ /siːt/ bag /bæɡ/ /bæk/ ride /raɪd/ /raɪt/ code /koʊd/ /koʊt/ log /lɔɡ/ /lɔk/ bead /biːd/ /biːt/
1.3 Final Consonant Devoicing (e.g., “bad” → “bat”) Read More »
Spanish speakers may give each syllable the same amount of stress, which might change the natural pace of English. These are ten examples: English Sentence Natural English Rhythm Spanish-Influenced Rhythm I want to go. /aɪ ˈwɑnt tə ɡoʊ/ /aɪ ˈwan tu ɡo/ What are you doing? /ˈwʌt ər jə ˈduɪŋ/ /ˈwat aɾe ju ˈduin/ Can
1.2 Syllable-Timed (Spanish) vs. Stress-Timed (English) Rhythm Read More »